Jim Sheridan's In the Name of the Father shows one of the best example of a miscarriage of justice. Set during the 1970's in Belfast, it displays the many hardships of the time. Hey, no one said life in the 1970's was pleasant.
The main driving force of In the Name of the Father is in the form of Daniel Day-Lewis. He appears confident and sure of himself early on, but you can clearly notice the scared look on his face throughout. This is also one of Day-Lewis' best performances. (Then again, does he ever have a bad performance?)
Another great performance comes from Pete Postlethwaite, a fine actor who sadly passed away earlier this year. He was always a bit of a scene stealer (as shown in his penultimate film The Town), and such is the case with In the Name of the Father. He tries to re-connect with Day-Lewis, trying to salvage the father-son relationship they once had. It's a heartbreaking performance from him. (It's also another reason for why I hold a grudge at Tommy Lee Jones for winning Supporting Actor that year.)
In the Name of the Father is a great movie, but the pacing bothered me a bit. It was like it was slow, then it sped up, and then it slowed down again. Bothersome, but thankfully the work from Day-Lewis and Postlethwaite managed to have me overlook that irksome detail. All in all, worth a look.
My Rating: ****1/2
This movie is obviously as good as I remember it being. Watching Daniel Day Lewis's character struggle and evolve is unforgettable to me, even over a decade later.
ReplyDeleteTommy Lee Jones gave the fifth-best performance in his category in 1993, I'm still baffled that he won.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love this movie, probably my second favorite DDL performance (directly under TWBB). The final scene is undeniably powerful. Gets me everytime.